Joe Biden: “I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid”
Joe Biden opened a St Patrick’s Day speech at the White House by saying: “I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.”
While some interpreted his remark as a self-deprecating joke, others suggested it could be seen as offensive to Ireland.
Mr Biden began his speech by saying: “Father, before I begin. Bless me, Father, for I’m about to sin. I, well, I just want you to know, I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid. I married Dominic Giacoppa’s daughter”.
The joke was greeted with laughter in the room, and there was no reaction from Irish officials.
But some Republicans and social media commentators were critical.
Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, said: “Is either of his assertions true?”
American broadcaster Joe Cunningham asked, “What did the Irish do to deserve this?”
Cassandra MacDonald, editor-in-chief of TimCast, wrote: “He called the Irish just stupid”.
Miranda Devine, a Fox News contributor, found no comment. She wrote “No comment.”
But there are those who think that the American president, who is of Irish descent, was joking when he mentioned the Irish, invoking the centuries-old Anglo-Irish conflict, in which the English believe that the reason for all this is the stupidity of the other side, and their refusal to assimilate to the UK like Scotland did.
